If you are the One
by Ivashkov's Princess
Summary: Set after Blood Promise, Rose had went to Russia and managed to kill him. Devastated, she decided to leave her old life behind and start a new one. 5 years later, she found someone from her Past. Adrian X Rose!
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hi Guys! It's been so long since I ended my previous FanFic and this had been sitting around for quite some time, so I thought might as well post this up and check out the response before I decided to bring this new Story Further. I've been having a lot of thoughts about what title I should give to this story and came out with "If you are the One" tentatively. Please read and leave your suggestion for the Title of this new story in the Reviews. 10 reviews and I will be continuing this story. As of now, it's just a One-Off. Please tell me if you like it!

This is my 2nd VA FanFic, please support!

Rei

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><p><strong>Chapter One: Rose Runaway<strong>

"… go around the back and we'll take them down from the front"

"You've got it" I replied through the mouth piece and signaled to my team to go ahead while I covered the back. My team spread around the back, securing every possible exit. Soon after, we heard the sound of the front door being broken down and fights broke out around the house. Some of them tried to escape through the back but my team took them down the second they stepped out without much resistance. Within 30 minutes, we wrapped up the entire operation and prepared to return to base.

I was in my car and starting up the engine when the operation leader, Keith knocked on my window. He's really well built at 6"7 and really muscular and tanned with strong features. I wound down the window and took off my shades.

"Great work managing the team Evans. I really hope we can work together again soon." He said and extended a hand through the window. I took it and flashed him my man-eating smile.

"It's my pleasure too" I said and wound up the window, not letting him advance any closer. I drove out of the driveway, back to my apartment in downtown LA.

I unlocked the door to my apartment and went straight to my bedroom. I took out both my desert eagle and placed them on my bedside table. You'll never know who or what might attack you while you're asleep. I stripped off all my clothes and walked into my bathroom to wash the day's action away. I flipped on my stereo in the bathroom counter and started the water. I walked to the mirror and looked at the person mimicking my action.

She undid her hair-tie allowing her deep brown tresses to fall messily over her shoulders, covering her breasts. Her skin glowed with a hint of redness from the recent tanning due to her job. Her eyes, was a deep brown, reflecting minimal emotions; as if threatening to swallow everyone who comes too close like a black hole.

I saw a ghost of Rose Hathaway in her but it wasn't her too. I turned off the running water and tested the temperature with my feet before submerging my body into the warmth of the welcoming bath. I leaned my head on headrest on the side of the bathtub, relaxing the tense-up muscles. I inhaled a deep breath of warm humid air, emptying my mind.

_I was running. Running for my dear life. The pursuer was hot on my heels. I reached a fence. It was a dead end. I could try to jump into the river but the gushing water and jagged rocks on the riverbed told me that I would not have survived either. I spun around, trying to assess my surroundings in the pitch darkness. But all I saw was a pair of gleaming red eyes. In a split second, the pair of red eyes was just inches away from mine, its bearer holding my neck in his grasp._

"_Why did you run Roza?"_

_I choked. The grip on my neck was choking precious air out of my lungs. I could feel my strength draining out of me as my exhaustion took over. I coughed again; a feeble attempt to take in some air._

"_Why did you run away from me!" he roared again. "Don't you love me anymore? We could be together forever! Isn't that you want?" Why Roza! Why!" his voice rang throughout the woods, sending the trees trembling, breaking the silence of the peaceful night._

"_I…" I tried to say something but his grip was prohibiting any speech. I tried to feel around my back to grab the stake but he noticed it and with a swift movement of his free hand, knocked it a couple feet away. Following the stake, he threw me against a tree like a ragdoll. My back slammed against the solid tree trunk. It hurts like hell but I was glad to be freed from his grasp._

_I tried to get myself up and I felt a cool metal under my hands. It was the stake. I gripped it tightly and raised it up just in time to plunge it into his chest. He roared out in pain and with a swift movement of his arm, I was swept 10 feet away from him. When I regained my bearings, I saw him advancing towards me in a more menacing manner than before. I missed his heart and now a super pissed off Strigoi stood before me. I felt fear trembling within me, threatening to burst out of my body. I tightened my grip around the stake and positioned myself against the tree to steady myself. I have no extra strength to strategize nor to run. All I can do is try to do as much damage as possible with the silver stake._

Like a tiger, he pounced onto me. Holding the stake with both hands, I raised it above my head. I felt the weight of his body when he touches the stake. I daren't look. I kept my eyes tightly shut, anticipating his next move.

There wasn't any besides the growing weight on my already tired body. His arms slumped due to the lack of strength and dropped to my sides before his entire body came crashing onto mine.

I did it. I staked him. I've staked Dimitri. I've freed him. I kept my promise to him. I should be happy. I freed the man I loved of his sufferings and I should be celebrating for the fact that I was still alive. But I couldn't. Because he isn't. His body was as limp as wet noodle. I pushed his body away and laid him properly on the ground. Then I heard something that made me happy for a brief moment. He was still breathing. Barely. It was really shallow and rapid. His eyes were slightly opened but I was afraid to look. Afraid to see what I feared.

"Roza..." I heard him call my name in between his breath. My love for him gave in as I leaned in next to his face. I saw the warm brown I once knew and loved in those tiny slits. The warm brown that always tells me that I can do it and everything will be just fine.

But it isn't fine. "it isn't fine Dimitri. Nothing is fine without you here" I sobbed into his chest, my final words to him, on his slowly dying body. However, what makes me cries even harder wasn't his impending death but his final words to me.

"Th...an...k... Yo...u..."

"I love you Dimitri..." I sobbed into his dead body long after he breathed his last.

Daylight was slowly breaking in the distant horizon, signifying the start of a brand new day but to me, time came to a halt the very moment he died. Daybreak actually seemed cruel. It's negating the fact that time will not stand still just because a wonderful man just died. Time will continue to move forward and Life still goes on. I buried his body at the very spot and at the same time, I buried Rose Hathaway along with him.

5 years had passed since then. I left the academy – in fact the day I left to hunt for Dimitri, I left my old life there. I left Lissa and Adrian, and everyone I hold dear to, even Christian. With no qualification, I joined the FBI with my skills and led a life away from the vampires. A life that wouldn't remind me of how Dimitri died. If people who knew me had asked why I chose not to go back to the academy, back with Lissa and the gang, the answer was even more shattering.

Lissa...

I had wanted to return to the academy because I felt bad for leaving her while I went on the hunt, but what I saw made me decide otherwise.

After I had buried Dimitri, I got sucked into Lissa's head as like the many times I've got pulled in whenever she felt strong emotions

_I'm angry. I'm angry for Rose to leave me just like that. She didn't even say good bye and I had to know it from Adrian that she had took off. My phone was blaring like crazy on the bed. I took it and smashed it against the wall, relieving it of its misery. I started throwing things in the room around, smashing everything I could lay my hands on into bits. I saw Christian, Adrian and Avery come in but I hadn't cared. I just wanted to destroy. _

_At that moment, I had wanted so much to fly back to Lissa and take her darkness away from her but I can't. I know I couldn't help much by staying in her head but I thought that at least I could be there for her spiritually. _

_Christian and Adrian just stood by the doorway looking helpless. I could see the pain in Christian's eyes. How he wanted to help but there seems to be nothing he could do. I know that exact feeling. I've been through it and I don't want to experience it again. _

_The girl, Avery, (I knew it from Lissa's thought) however, came forward and took Lissa by her shoulders and gave her a slap on the face. Damn! it was hard. Even though I wasn't the one being slapped, I could almost feel the heat of it. The slap also pushed me out of Lissa's mind and I couldn't get in no matter how hard I tried after that. I brushed it off due to fatigue._

_What I saw a couple days later, it was the real deal clincher. I got into Lissa's head again. She was at the cafeteria with Christian, Adrian and Avery. Avery was at my usual spot - sandwiched between Lissa and Adrian. I felt a tinge of jealousy. She was laughing happily with her and Lissa wasn't feeling anything about my absence, nothing a single thought about me. She'd let go. _

So that was it. Rose Hathaway is gone. She'd become Rose-Runaway.

I am Ashley Evans.


	2. Chapter 2: The Night Job

**Hey guys, I'm sorry but I had to change Rose's new name to Ashley instead of Serena coz, When I was writing the first chapter, I hadn't watch Gossip Girl and I'm not really happy with Serena in Gossip Girl after chain watching 3 season therefore, Rose is now Ashley Evans!**

**I'm sorry for the ranting and I've just finished this chapter and couldn't wait to post this up. It's been a long time since ideas had flowed so freely in my mind. Thank you guys for the great support!**

**Rei**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: The Night Job<strong>

I got out of the showers just in time to hear my phone ringing.

My _other_phone.

"Where am I needed again Syd?" I said right after I clicked [Answer].

Sydney is the only person that I had kept from my old life. I met her on my hunt to kill Dimitri. She - and Abe - was the only person who knew my whereabouts. Hell. Abe was the one who had gotten me this luxurious apartment in this part of LA.

A couple weeks after I've staked Dimitri, Abe found me in a ring of rogue Strigoi and helped me to fight them off. Well, him and his group of MIB. After Dimitri died, I didn't want to live anymore and I went on a killing spree, killing all the Strigoi I can find, hoping that one of them will end my misery.

Anyway, after that day, Abe took me in and told me that he was my father.

_IS _my father.

He had wanted to call my mum to tell her my whereabouts but I stopped him. I told him that my mum and I weren't speaking to each other and that I don't regard her as my mum. Well, I might have exaggerated the story a lil bit, but part of it was also the fact right? She hadn't been much of a motherly figure during my childhood and certainly not during the time when I needed a mum. Lissa's mum took on the role waaaaay better than her.

Lissa..

Ever since that day, the connection between us seems to be broken or rather, blocked. I no longer get sucked into her mind and I don't want to either.

As for Adrian, you must also be thinking why hadn't he tried to dreamwalk into me. Well, he had tried. The day after I had killed Dimitri. We had a huge fight and since then, I'm not sure whether I had blocked him or that he hadn't tried to contact me again but that was the last time I had any connection with any of them.

Anyway, back to present, I'm living in an apartment sponsored by Abe, my dad and working with Sydney.

"Warehouse near Jacobs Habour... Got it. A rough number?" I asked.

"It's a small group, about 5 of them. Its child's play to you right?" Sydney replied on the other end of the line.

"I can take them down no doubt. I'll be there in 20 minutes. Get your team to standby over there." I told her and killed and line before she could reply. She never did anyway.

Well, judging from the content of our conversation, you might have guessed what the other phone was for.

It's the phone for my _other_ job.

My night job.

I know I've said that I wanted a life away from the vampires, both good and bad, there's no escaping from them. They are everywhere. They will pop up every now and then but thankfully, no one knew who I was. At least those that vaguely remember were taken care of. Thanks to Abe, the protective father. I figured that he wanted to make up to me for bring absent in the first 18 years of my life. It felt good though, to have someone caring for you.

As much as Abe kept his word as to not revealing where I am to the others back at the academy, Sydney used that to her advantage.

Sydney, the Alchemist. No 1 hater of the Creatures of the Night. That's what she called them, me included. But I seemed more human, so, yea, we're working together now.

Every now and then, I will receive a call from her after her team had pinpoint the location of the local Strigoi hideout and I'll go and wipe them out. After that, they'll step in to "clean up" the scene and wala~ the job is done.

It's simple. There's Strigoi, she call me, I whack them up, they clean up. But I really wished that I won't receive a call from her right after I had wrapped up an operation in my Day job. But, a job is a job. I had to keep her mouth shut.

I changed into my combat clothes – An old T-shirt I don't mind throwing away, a pair of stretchable jeans and a pair of combat boots.

I pulled my hair into a tight bun and opened the weapon drawer. I took two silver stakes and slipped them into the holsters of my jeans, took the gun loaded with silver bullets and slipped it into my back pocket. The silver bullets are a new invention by the alchemist.

Well, Sydney and I figured out the idea after one tough battle with a group of Strigoi near the outskirts of Chicago. She thought that fighting one on one with those bad vampires with a stake is too time consuming and ancient, so after some discussion, she took our idea back to the Alchemist and they developed the silver bullets. It's the same as the silver stake, just in a bullet form. It enabled me to take some Strigoi down before engaging in close combat with those I missed.

It's true that shooting the Strigoi with the gun is much easier than engaging in a close combat with them, but I couldn't just let go of the stake.

It let me remembers Dimitri, in a way that I am familiar with.

He had taught me what I know about combat and fighting with a stake keeps his memory alive in me.

With everything in place, I got out of the apartment and started driving towards the location.

As I was driving, I couldn't stop but counting how many times I had received calls from Sydney this week.

Every single night…

The Strigoi seemed to grow in numbers these days in LA but I shook the thought as the habour came into view.

The Alchemist were already there when I pulled into the habour. Sometimes I wonder if they had just call me at the scene.

I got out of the car and Sydney pointed to the warehouse at the far end of the habour.

It was 430 in the morning.

The habour was deserted, the wind was strong and the air was humid but I can smell them from where I was; the smell of rotten flesh and fresh blood.

Then I heard it.

A piercing scream in the dead of the night.

The Strigoi had decided to bring back some supper and I hope I can get there in time to save the poor woman.

I took off as fast as I could and stopped around the corner.

Two Strigoi were keeping watch outside the warehouse and as much as I wanted to stay stealth, they noticed my presence and advanced towards me. I took them down easily with the gun. Although it was fitted with a silencer, it still couldn't muffle the shrieks coming from the now dead Strigoi, which alerted the rest of the pack. I took another one down with the gun but the fourth one came up from behind and knocked it off me. In a swift movement, I took the silver stakes from my holster and staked it right in the heart. Four down, one to go.

The last one was harder to take down. He seemed like the leader of the pack and kept watch at the side while I killed his minions. I took a quick look into the warehouse and I saw the woman's body lying in a pool of crimson blood. Her neck was broken and the look on her face tells a gruesome tale.

While I was looking at the body, the Strigoi wasted no time. He pounced onto me like a hungry tiger and pinned me to the ground, descending his pointy fangs at my neck. I moved away just in time with just a scratch. I kicked him off me and before I could land my other stake in his heart, I heard a gunshot and the Strigoi drop dead before me. Sydney had decided to step in and took the final shot.

It hadn't died immediately. Deciding to give it the final blow, I flipped the Strigoi over and found it smiling disgustingly.

"You might have killed my group tonight... but there are more where we come from… Ro…" the Strigoi coughed out his last words.

It bugged me.

Did it just try to say "Rose" or did he want to say something else. Sydney heard that too but shrugged it off.

I got up and left the cleaning up to her team. I walked into the warehouse and kneeled down beside the woman. I slide my hand across her face and closed her eyes.

"You can rest in peace now. I'm sorry I couldn't get to you in time."

I stood up and before I got out of the warehouse, I heard a cough.

Someone is still alive in here.

Being cautious that it might be the remnant Strigoi, I took out my stake and gripped it in my hands. I followed the cough to the back of warehouse and I saw a leg sticking out from behind some wooden crates.

It was a man and judging from the tears and blood on his pants, I knew that it wasn't a Strigoi. If it was, my Strigoi detecting stomach would have told me.

He coughed again and I rushed to help him up.

I turned the corner and was shocked to see who I had found.


	3. Chapter 3: Ghost of my Past

**Really thank all of you for the love. I've been receiving so many emails of Story Alerts and Fav Story which is really encouraging to a writer. I've gone on a writing spree for the last two days and managed to write up to Chapter 6 for this story. Therefore, i'm posting all chapters up today as a weekend present! Yay!**

**Rei**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Ghost of my Past<strong>

Oh. My. God.

In front of me, an almost lifeless body laid against the wooden crates.

The tall and lean silhouette , the chestnut brown hair, and the once gleaming emeralds now dull as his life began to slip away.

"I… final..ly.. found… you…." He said in between coughs and rapid breathing.

Tears flowed uncontrollably as I dropped beside the familiar Moroi.

"Adrian! Stay with me!" I cried as I held him close to me. Sydney heard my cries and led her team to where I was.

"Sydney! Help him! Please!" I cried out to her in a desperate attempt to prolong Adrian's life. He had lost a lot of blood and the wounds on his neck are bleeding profusely. I pressed my hand on his wounds to try to stop the bleeding but it wouldn't stop.

Sydney stood dumbfounded for a brief moment before rummaging through her slingbag to retrieve a bottle. She popped open the cap and sprinkled the powder onto his wounds. I snatched the bottle from her and emptied the content onto Adrian's bleeding neck.

I held his hands and kept murmuring "Stay with me" in his ears while the Alchemists carried him to the car to send him to the Moroi hospital in the vicinity.

Sydney stayed with me outside the ER while the doctors tried to do their best to patch Adrian up.

"He'll be fine." Sydney said and gave my shoulder a squeeze.

"How… What if I hadn't found him? What if… what if…" I kept saying, unable to organize any of my thoughts.

"You've found him and right now, the doctors are doing what they can to save him. YOU saved him. You stopped the bleeding remember? Calm down and be-"

Sydney was cut off as the doors to the ER swung open and the nurses pushing an unconscious Adrian through the doors.

I grabbed the doctor immediately and asked if Adrian's gonna make it.

"He'll be fine. It's very lucky for you to find him early and stopped the bleeding. Any later, he would have been dead." He told us with a smile and left with the nurses.

As if a heavy load had been lifted off my shoulders, I felt light and slumped onto the ground.

"Ashley!" was the last thing I heard.

Strong light was blinding my eyes as I rolled in the bed and almost rolled off it. I was lying on the hospital bed, which is way smaller than the one in my apartment. I groaned and shielded my eyes from the blinding sunlight streaming into the room.

"You're finally up." I heard Sydney say.

I groaned and then jumped up asking for the time.

"It's almost 10am."

"Holy Crap! I'm late for work!" I cursed and jumped off the bed. Then I remembered why I was in the hospital.

I turned to Sydney and shook her. "How's Adrian?"

"He's fine. He's still unconscious though. The doctors said that he'll be coming round soon. You wanna go check him out before you go?"

I gave her a smile and left the room.

Even though she didn't quite like the vampires and half-blood like me, she and I got pretty close working together. I didn't mean close like chummy close but we know how each other was thinking just by a small gesture.

I walked towards the counter and asked for Adrian's room. I was at his door but I was hesitant in opening that door.

For the last 5 years, I have been trying to avoid everyone from my old life and yesterday I realised that I hadn't really let go of my past. Seeing Adrian lying almost lifeless in the warehouse last night had made me realised that some part of me is still clinging onto my old life. Although the night job wasn't what I wanted and I kept saying that I was forced by Sydney to take it up but a little part of me knew that it wasn't the blackmailing but the desire to take revenge for Dimitri. I wanted to kill all the Strigoi that had made my life the way it turned out and some part of me still wanted to be part of that world.

The Vampiric world.

I took out my phone and texted Keith I would be coming in late today and mustered up all the courage to open that door.

The door that opens up to my past.

The room was dark compared to mine; well I guess it was Sydney who had drawn the curtains. I stood beside the bed and on it, Adrian was sleeping soundly in a hospital gown. His expression was peaceful compared to last night when I had found him. His breathing is now strong and steady, as opposed to the shallow rapid breathing when I held him in my arms.

He was the one who trusted me and funded my trip to Russia but it was I who broke his heart; who had used his feelings for me to fulfil my own desire. Although I didn't want to be in contact with anyone else, I had felt indebted to Adrian. Adrian who saw me for who I am (was) and loved me unconditionally. Most importantly, I wanted to know how long he had been trying to look for me.

Ever since I was captured by Dimitri, I had lost all my belongings, including the credit card which Adrian had playfully put in under Rose Ivashkov. He couldn't have used any of that to track me and on top of that, I had Abe to keep me under the radar. Sydney had once said: "What Abe wants hidden, stays hidden."

I sat down on the chair beside the bed and took a closer look at his face.

His face was different from what I had remembered. His hair was longer now, touching his shoulders; however, it wasn't the silky shiny brown hair that once adorned his beautifully chiselled face. Replacing it was a mane that's overgrown and dull. His cheeks were slightly sunken and his face was unshaven. It made me wonder when was the last time he had looked into the mirror.

The Adrian I remembered was groomed to the perfection every single day and this person lying in front of me was like the pauper twin of his. On a closer assessment, he seemed to have lost a lot of weight. He used to be pretty muscular for a Moroi but now he's more on a scale with Christian just slightly toned.

I took his hand in mine.

"How long have you been looking for me? I had given up when we had that fight but why, why are you still holding on?" I sobbed into his hands.

If there was one thing I didn't want, it was to see people who I love get hurt. Adrian had been nothing but a great friend to me and all I did was used him and leave him to fend for himself. After we had met at the ski lodge, he came all the way to St. Vladimir for me. When his great aunt, Queen Tatiana and his entire way hating me, he was the one who stood up for me.

"Because I love you…" came a husky voice.

I looked up to see his gleaming emerald eyes looking at me. They were still as filled with love as I had last remembered even though a lot had changed.

"But why…"

"I love you Rose. I couldn't just let you go…" he said and cupped the side of my face with his other hand.

"But I…" I stopped when I saw those loving eyes. All these years while I was mourning for Dimitri, I had forgotten the feeling of being loved.

I smiled and wanted to say something else when I got a text from Keith. I looked at the time and turned to Adrian.

"I would love to stay but I had to get to work. I'll see you again after I'm done okay? Please don't tell anyone that you've found me alright? I like my life now the way it is."

He just smiled and fall back to sleep.

I brushed his hair away and kissed him on his forehead.

"Thank you for loving me Adrian…"

As I exited the room, I was torn between going back to my old life and bringing someone old into my new life. All these years I've spent running away from them and now that I've finally gotten used to my new life, my past decided to come and haunt me, but in a good way.

I've always felt something special for Adrian but I know that it wasn't the love that Dimitri and I had shared. It was something different. Back at the academy, he was like air, always around me and surrounding with his self-professed undying love, so much that I felt suffocated. However, it was as annoying as I had let it seem it. At some point of time, I had actually kinda like the attention that I was receiving, especially during the times when Dimitri was thinking about going with Tasha. The kiss we shared when I approached him to fund my trip, though it was nowhere near passionate, there was something that sparked between us then.

As I was driving to work, these thoughts kept swimming in my brain that almost make me explode. I stopped the car at the side of the freeway, sobbing into the steering wheel, unsure of what I should do.


	4. Chapter 4: Can't love anyone but him

**With this new FanFic, I'm going to dig deeper into Rose's heart and there will be a lot of internal struggles going on =)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>**: I can't love anyone but him**

I don't know how long I had been sitting in my car when my phone started to ring.

It was Keith.

"Hey Evans, where are you? We've just received a mission and will be moving out now. I'll send you the address. We'll meet you there alright?" he rambled on and just hung up.

My phone beeped again with the text Keith sent me. I keyed in the address into my GPS and drove off. Everything else had to wait, work comes first now. It's the only way I can stop thinking about other stuff.

The mission was done with precision and it was wrapped up within a couple hours. I went back to the precinct and did my report before calling it a day. I wasn't physically tired, but was mentally strained. I drove down to the local gym and started punching the sand bag as if thousands of Strigoi was standing in front of me. Shortly after, I was joined by a familiar in my new life.

"Hey, the sand bag hadn't offend you in any way right?" Ezra said, holding the sand bag on the other side.

"Go away before I use you as the sand bag" I growled and continue punching the sand bag.

"Sounds good. It's been a while since our last sparring match." He grinned and did that one eyebrow thing I could never managed to achieve. Just like Dimitri…

I can hear some girls squeaking at the treadmill. Ezra was the local trainer at the gym and girls are crazy over him. He had really tanned skin with goldren brown hair. Standing at 6'7 with a really muscular body and mixed colored eyes (one is a light green while the other was a piercing light blue), who wouldn't fall for him? He'd got really good reflexes as well. Too quick for a regular human. Yep, he's not human. He's a dhampir like me. The only difference is that he wasn't educated the way I was. He was brought up by humans and lived among them. He still thinks that he's a human and knows nothing about the vampiric world.

I followed him to the boxing ring and put on the boxing gloves. The match hasn't even begin but people are starting to crowd around the boxing ring.

"You're ready to hand over your ass?"

"It is yours that I want. You owe me a date." he said with a smirk and a wink.

"If you win" I replied and the match started.

We circled each other, assessing possible areas to land an attack and with a swift movement, I landed the first blow on his chest, which was followed by his counter attack coming from the right. I dodged his attack and landed another hit on the side of his face. That's gonna hurt…

The exchanges of punch and kicks got faster and harder as the match goes on. I attacking and him dodging, landing a hit on me and vice versa. For a split second, it was like sparring and training with Dimitri again. How our bodies move in sync with each other, anticipating and knowing each other moves as though we are in each other's mind.

I was lost in my thoughts for a brief moment and was hit right at the side of my head, causing me to fall flat onto the ring.

I missed him. I missed Dimitri so much.

"Hey, are you alright?" Ezra removed one of his gloves and extended his hand to help me up. I knocked it away and got up before my tears threatened to fall.

"You got lucky" I managed to choke out in a normal tone and headed to the locker. I grabbed my bag and ran straight to my car. I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. Tears were running freely as I drove all the way back to my apartment. I went straight to the showers and turned it on.

Five long years have passed but the memories of Dimitri are still fresh in my mind. The way we exchanged glances, the way he touches my hair, the way he smile, the smell of his aftershave, the way he kissed me for the first time and the time we gave ourselves to each other in the cabin, not giving a damn about anything around us. I missed him so much but we couldn't be together anymore.

He's dead and I'm the one who had killed him.

I blamed myself for his death.

Not for staking him but for suggesting idea that we go to the caves to launch the rescue mission. If I hadn't suggested, he wouldn't have brought it up during the meeting. If we hadn't gone to the caves, he wouldn't have covered the way behind me and got himself captured. If he hadn't become Strigoi, if I didn't have to kill him, we could have been together. We have it all worked out. I'll become Lissa's guardian and he'll take up a job at the Royal Court. We could spend our day off together and see each other while Lissa is in class. We could have led a happy life together… we could have…

For a very long time, I sat in the tub with the shower running, drenching my body, my heart and my soul. It was that very moment that I realized that I couldn't love anyone else. My heart is with Dimitri. He's dead and my heart went with him. I can't reciprocate Adrian's love for me. Leading him on will be a sin. I've sinned too much. I should free him and let him go…

Then I recalled something Dimitri once told me when he rejected Tasha's offer:

"I couldn't return that… couldn't give her what she wanted. Not when… Not when my heart is somewhere else."

Dimitri is right. I couldn't give him what he wanted, not when my heart had died with Dimitri.

Adrian deserves someone much better. I've let him wasted five precious years of his life, letting him think that he still have a chance with me. That was the deal we made when he decided to lend me the money to hunt for Dimitri. But I couldn't hold up my end of the deal. I knew that even if I had given him the chance, it would do nothing but hurt him even more.

I got out of the shower and saw a message on my phone.

It was from Ezra.

_A win is a win. You owe me a date Ashley. =D_

I looked at the time and it was only 7. An idea got to me. I picked up my phone and dialed Ezra's number.

"What's up babe? Calling me to set up our date?" he said cheerily on the other end of the line.

"Yep. Dinner at 8 at the restaurant round the corner of Lygon Street."

"Sure, I'll come pick you up in half an hour. See ya!"

"Wait!"

"Yes babe?"

"Before that, I need you to go some place with me. Wear something nice."

"Anything for the beautiful lady. See you later."

[Clicked]

I ransacked my entire closet to look for something decent and lady-like and realized that I have nothing besides T-shirts, jeans and pants. Good thing I lived in downtown LA with a bottomless credit card Abe gave me in case of emergency.

I changed into something casual and ran down a couple blocks to the designer store. I asked the Sales Lady to dress me up in something proper for a date but not too flashy, something subtle but lady-like. She gave me a quick one-off assessment and went to the racks to pick out some clothes. She presented me with a couple of dresses and after I changed into the first one, I realized that I haven't been giving my appearance much deserved care. It was a cream colored sundress with thick straps and a sweetheart neckline, A-line skirt which stops just at my knee with cute little flowery design. I got out of the changing room and the Sales Lady topped off my attire with a white cap sleeved croquet cardigan and a pair of cream colored heels.

I looked into the mirror and I was shocked to see my reflection. I felt like Cinderella and the Sales Lady was my fairy godmother. I paid for my purchases with Abe's card and walked out of the store wearing my first decent purchase in years. I got back just in time to dump my old clothes in my car when Ezra arrive at my apartment.

When he got of the car, he took a step back and assessed my attire, while I did the same.

"Wow, you looked different." He blurted out.

"I could go back and change."

"No! It's good. You looked beautiful." He said as redness began to creep up his tanned face. He's was wearing a white shirt and a casual khaki blazer with a pair of dark jeans. Pretty different from how I had pictured him in my mind. But I've only seen him in the gym right? It was then I realized that I didn't tell him where I lived.

I gave him a really puzzled look. "How did you-"

"Know where you live? It's really easy actually. You work out at the gym and I'm a trainer at my own gym. You can work out the rest by yourself."

"You're a what? You own that gym?" I was clearly shocked. Five years living in the area and working out at that gym, the thought of Ezra owning that gym hadn't even cross my mind.

"So where do you want to go first?" he asked as he opened the car door for me.

"The hospital. To visit a friend of mine."

"Okay." He said and drove off to the hospital where I would cut off all the links to my haunted past.


	5. Chapter 5: Dresses

**Chapter 5: Dresses**

We got to the hospital and walked towards Adrian's room. For the second time today, I stood rooted outside the door. I had the speech prepared in my mind on the way here and all I have to do is to put on a good act. I took a deep breath and opened the door.

Adrian was sitting up on his bed flipping a magazine. His face lit up when he saw me enter.

"Hey babe. I was wondering when…"

He stopped when he saw Ezra following behind me.

I hooked my arm with Ezra which took him aback for a split second but after that he seemed to welcome the sudden closeness.

"You feeling better Adrian?"

"ye.. yeah… erm, who's…" he said, staring at my plus-one.

"He's Ezra. We have a dinner date at 8 but I promised to pop by after work so I brought him along. You wouldn't mind right?" I turned to Ezra, "Hey baby, would you be a dear and wait for me outside. I would like some alone time with Adrian."

"Er, sure. I'll be outside if you need me." He said and left the room.

"Who's he?" Adrian asked.

"He's my boyfriend. We've been dating for awhile now." I said and took a seat on the chair. "I like my life the way it is now Adrian. I've moved on and so should you. I'm sorry for not holding up my end of the bargain but you can't tell your heart to love just anybody right? Go back to the Court where you belong. I supposed you haven't been keeping in contact with your family right? They, especially the Queen must be worried sick. Go back once you've gotten better. Finish college and find someone better than me. With someone like you, girls will come flocking if you ask. Forget about me and thank you for loving me all these years and risking your life to look for me. I really appreciate that, but Rose is dead and you should let go. I'm not the person you once knew. I should get going. Take care of yourself okay? Good bye Adrian." I told him and left the room in a hurry, afraid of what he might say.

"Let's go Ezra." I said and almost broke into a run towards the exit. We got to his car and when I got in, I started to cry again.

"Ashley, are you okay?" Ezra asked, wrapping a comforting arm around me.

"I'm fine… I'm fine… I'm fine…" I kept saying as I sobbed in his embrace.

"It's okay now. Let it all out. I'm here for you…" he said in a gentle voice while rubbing my back.

We skipped dinner and just sat in the car. Later that night, Ezra drove me back to the apartment.

"Thanks Ezra."

"Not big deal. You're okay by yourself? Shall I walk you up?" he offered.

"I'll be fine. Thanks. I'll make up the dinner another day." I said with a forced smile.

"Anytime you want. Just give me a call if you need me. I'll be on 24 hours standby." He said with his usual wink and I stood outside the lobby of my apartment until he drove off.

I got back to my apartment and Abe was sitting on the couch, his MIB at either corner of the room. Great, I was planning to call him anyway.

"Hey dad."

"Hey my little girl. Are you alright? Sydney told me that you found an old friend from the academy earlier today. You need me to send him off?"

Send him off… not a good word. Normally it means sending them off to some rural areas in a foreign country.

"No, no! He's Adrian, Adrian Ivashkov." It felt hard trying to say his name now. "I was going to call you about him."

"What do you need kiz?"

I sat down on the adjacent couch and said, "Could you call the Queen? Tell her that you found Adrian and he was pretty banged up. Tell her to come and take him back to the Court."

"No problem" he said and took out his phone. The thing with Abe, he wants thing to get done, he get it done fast.

"Wait!"

He looked over to me.

"Tell her that Rose is dead. Adrian never found me and that he was hallucinating due to the drugs and injuries."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded.

I saw pain flashed in his deep dark eyes but he did what I asked anyway. I walked back to my room, stripped off the dress and hang it on my wardrobe. I slipped under the covers and sleep took over me.

That night, I had a dream. I don't usually dream and I know it's not one of those dreams that I would see Adrian popping in. It was just a dream, a fragment of my memory.

_I was at the mall with Lissa, Natalie and Victor. It was the time where Victor was still the loving uncle of Lissa and we went to the mall with Dimitri and Stan, together with Camille and Victor's guardians, Ben and Spiridon. _

_I was Dimitri's guarding partner, I'll be the near guard and he'll be the far guard. Lissa and I were having great time shopping together and talking about Vladimir and Anna. She said that my choice of clothes had started to bore her and at the end of the trip, she bought me the black silk dress which I will be wearing to the dance. The dress that in Dimitri's opinion will not endanger my reputation but the school. Then I saw Dimitri carrying me in his arms when I broke my leg on that broken bench and the lipgloss he got me from the shopping trip. The next moment, I was in his room in that dress, kissing him and touching his bare chest. It was Victor's lust charm that he had put in the rose necklace but that was the time that convinced me that Dimitri had feelings for me to. Then the flashback went on and on, every time it was some event that involves a dress. The dance at the ski lodge with the dress Adrian bought for me and the dress Tasha gave me as a Christmas present. Dresses that told of major events and people that I had connections with in the distant past. _

I woke up abruptly and stared at the dress hanging so ever casually on my wardrobe.

A dress that tells me I had a past I wanted to forget.

The dress reminded me of how I had broken Adrian's heart; Adrian whom loved me so ever dearly and believed in me. Adrian who had came looking for me despite the risk of being caught by Strigoi, despite everyone who had forgotten about me. I couldn't help but wonder where he had gone all these years, tracing my tracks, asking and searching across the globe for me. All done on his own. He was on his own for the last 5 years. A royal Moroi, without a guardian, combing the country looking for someone who might not love him back.

Before we met at the ski lodge, he was a royal, not giving special attention to any woman around him. A royal who was well taken care of and have no worries at all. For someone like him, it must have taken a lot of courage and determination to do what he had done. And for me to leave him the way I did, was a horrible thing to do.

I had to talk to him before the Queen sends her troop to retrieve Adrian from the hospital. I knew I had to.

I sprung out of bed and looked at the clock. It was nine in the morning. I texted Keith that I would be calling in sick for the day and raced to the hospital in my car. I pulled the cap of my hoodie over my head, fearing that the Queen's troop might have arrived. I got his room and opened the door, this time without any hesitant.

Adrian was not on his bed. The room was empty and the bed was neatly arranged.

I was too late. He was gone.

Gone with his aunt back to the royal court where he belongs.

Gone back with a broken heart.

I left the hospital and started my car. I didn't know where I was driving to, I was just driving. I pulled up at the beach. My beach. The beach that I would come whenever I felt really down. I got out of the car and walked towards the rocky beach.

The wind was strong today and the sea was rough. The sky was grey and stormy. I could hear the waves crashing loudly against the rocks. I sat down on the cliff edge of the beach and began to regret what I had told Adrian last night. He deserved better.

"Adrian! I'm sorry! I'm sorry that I've hurt you! I'm sorry for not being able to love you back the way you deserved! I'm sorry!" I yelled at the open waters.


	6. Chapter 6: Can I love him?

****I'm stuck at chapter 6. It seems like a good ending but still able to expand with your contribution. If you have any idea on how this story should progress on please leave me a PM or comment and who knows, Chapter 7 might be one of you ideas =)****

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Can I love him?<strong>

"Adrian! I'm sorry! I'm sorry that I can't love you back the way you loved me!" I kept yelling, knowing that no one can hear me in this weather.

"Well, you can start by trying" a familiar and husky voice spoke behind me.

I turned around and saw the person I was calling out for.

Adrian.

He stood there wearing just a T-shirt and a pair of rugged jeans. In this weather, he must be feeling cold; Moroi have lower resistant to extreme temperatures. I took off my jacket and wrapped it around him.

"What are you doing here? I thought you'd left with your aunt." I said while holding on to the collar of my jacket, standing a mere few inches away from him.

"I went away last night. After hearing what you say last night and the way you left, I couldn't just let you go. I had been searching everywhere for you for the last 5 years, I couldn't just leave without spending some time with you."

He then reached out his arms and wrapped them around me, pulling me into his chest.

"It's been so hard looking for you all these years. I went to Russia, to the town where you last used the credit card and went everywhere asking if anyone had seen you. When I got to Omsk, someone told me that you were killed by a group of Strigoi. You don't know how broken I was when I heard that news but I told myself that you won't be taken down by the Strigoi so easily. My Rose is stronger than this. Then I finally met this couple who told me about you. They said that you were taken in by the mafia boss and that scared the hell out of me too. You don't know how much I'd went through just to look for you. Then when the private investigators told me that they found you back at the states, I was so overjoyed that I almost danced on the spot. Then few days ago, when I was at the back of a bar, I overheard some people talking about someone called Rose, I thought it was you and I ran right out to the alley and bumped right into the Strigoi. They took me to the warehouse and I thought I had to meet my end without seeing you again. But I know someone up there must be looking out for me coz they led you to me. You appeared when I thought that all hopes are lost. I've finally found you after all these years and I knew I couldn't let you go." He poured his heart out to me, all the while hugging me as though his life depended on it.

"Adrian, I…"

He removed his hand from my waist and cupped my face in his freezing palms.

"Just give yourself a chance. Give me a chance. Let me proof my love for you. Let me heal your broken heart." He then tipped my chin and kissed me.

Tears began to fall as I let myself melt in his cool gentle kiss.

If someone can mend my broken heart, it might be Adrian Ivashkov.

After some long passionate moments, we broke apart. I looked up at the pair of so ever loving gleaming emerald eyes. Although nothing was said between us, those eyes were sparkling as if it was telling me to believe in this man before me and that I could fall in love again.

I took Adrian back to my apartment and gave a quick call to Abe, telling him to tell the Queen that Adrian had ran away from the hospital and that they had lost his tracks. I don't care how he does it, but I know he will never let me down.

We spent the rest of the day in my apartment lounging on the bed; him wrapping an arm around my shoulders and me leaning on his chest. We talked about his adventures and my life these few years. It hadn't strike me before but I was actually feeling happy in Adrian's presence. I hadn't felt like this for a very long time. It was as though we were back to the day when we were still at the academy, bickering and exchanging snarky remarks at each other.

Then, we got to the Ezra topic.

"Adrian, I've got something to confess. Ezra… He's…."

"Not your boyfriend."

"How did you know?" I gasped his response.

"You forgot I can see aura? I can see him being in love with you with all the pinks but you? There was none. Just feelings of guilt."

"O…" I murmured, feeling embarrassed that I had forgotten about Adrian's ability to read people's aura.

"So Rose…"

"Oh, regarding that."

"Regarding what?"

"I'm not Rose anymore. I've changed my name. The day I killed Dimitri" a lump began to form in my throat whenever I touched that topic. Dimitri was still a sore spot for me to talk about. In fact, I had never talked about it openly with anyone. Not even Abe. "After that day, my heart had died with him and if not for Abe, I would still be in Russia going on killing spree every single night killing any Strigoi I can find. He helped me find another way of life and gave me a new identity. I now go by the name Ashley Evans and I hope you can adapt to it too."

"Ashley… Okay… I'll try… Anyway, R- Ashley, will you let me into your newly reborn life and give me a chance to love you?"

"Adrian, I…" I looked at his eyes again and nodded. "I'll give it a try Adrian" I said with a smile.

"Really?" Adrian went wide eyed and enveloped me in a big bear hug. "Thank you Ro- Ashley, thank you so much… Thank you… my lil dhampir…"

Lil dhampir…

A nickname I hadn't heard in years. A nickname that is exclusive to Adrian Ivashkov, the green eyed Moroi who professed his undying love for me.

We chatted for little while more then he started to yawn. It's two in the afternoon – midnight for vampires – so, still hugging each other, we took an afternoon nap in my bed.

I woke up slightly after 6 in the evening. I took at the man sleeping soundly beside me and I wondered how long has it been since he had a peaceful rest. I slipped out as quietly and stealthily as I could out of Adrian's arm and decided to go out to the restaurant opposite my apartment to get us some dinner. We hadn't eaten anything the entire day and my stomach was starting to protest.

I grabbed my ratty long cardigan and went across the street to grab some Chinese takeaways. They make the best dumplings. I was coming out of the restaurant when I saw Adrian looking frantically around outside the lobby of my apartment.

"Adrian!" I shouted as I crossed the road towards him.

"Rose!" he called out and hugged me tightly. I was taken aback by his sudden gesture.

"What's wrong Adrian? I just went to get us some food."

"I thought you'd left. I thought you were just a dream. I thought I had lost you once again…" his voice was shaking with fears and I could hear that he was choking back his tears.

For the past 5 years, the turmoil I had put him through had caused him to become a person that is so easily scared by my absence. Adrian used to be a jovial person, a fun-loving guy who isn't afraid of anything, but now, he's like a little child who had just found his mummy, terrified and lost. I felt guilty for what I had done to him.

"Come on, the food's getting cold. The dumplings is really awesome, you should try it."

He pulled away from me and took in my presence. "You're really here right? You won't leave me again right?"

"Yes. I'm right here. From now on, I won't go anywhere without telling you. This time round, I'll be the one to say this. I'm here for you."

He smiled and took the bag of food from me. He held out his free hand, "Let's go home."

Home…

A word I haven't used in a while…

I took his hand. "Yes, let's go home…"

It was then I was convinced of my decision.

If someone were to bring me out of the misery of losing Dimitri, it would be Adrian…


	7. Chapter 7: A Normal Day

Hey guys! I hope you guys like the first 6 chapters so far…

To Vampirekid567: I couldn't reply or send a message to you in FF coz i think you don't have an account but I guess u got your reply now with this new chapter!

To feffy008: Thank you for your continuous support!

To the other subscribers and reviewers: Thank you for taking your time to read this story and post a review. It really makes my day =) If you'd like to check out my previous Fanfic, A Dreamy Pursuit, please go to my page and click on the link or just do a search in the search bar. =)

Rei

Disclaimer: This is a fanfic. I don't know VA nor its character, just Ezra is my own =)

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: A Normal Day<strong>

"Hey, Ashley. Ashley wake up. It's fine now. Calm down…"

I woke up screaming.

I opened my eyes and saw Adrian's worried face staring down at me.

"Have I…"

"Yea you did…"

"I'm sorry" I told Adrian apologetically.

"It's okay… its okay…" he swept the hair away from my face as he cooed me back to sleep.

It has been more than a month since Adrian and I started living together and almost every night, I woke up screaming, thrashing and crying in my bed.

I've been dreaming about the same thing every single night.

The night I killed Dimitri. It kept replaying itself night after night, reminding me of the fears, the sadness and the devastation I felt on that fateful night. How those gleaming red eyes kept chasing me right to the bridge. How I was hanging over the bridge and the hopelessness I felt when I almost failed to kill him and the devastation I felt when I finally did it.

It started ever since Adrian and I decided to be together. I felt that it was the guilt that was haunting me, over the fact that I was feeling happy even in the absence of Dimitri. I've never told Adrian about the guilt but the events that took place that night. However, he seems to have sense it but never probe further. Maybe that was why I felt safe around Adrian. I felt at home yet there is still a part of me clinging onto Dimitri, chastising myself for getting over him – Dimitri, my once true love.

I don't know if what I felt with Adrian was love or guilt or simply just responsibility because he spent all these years looking for me and I felt that I had to somehow make it up to him. I know deep in my heart it wasn't love, at least not at the moment but there is something, something sparking in the bottom of my heart. A little place in it that is opening up to Adrian. A feeling that tells me I can love again.

But all of these are shattered night after night with the dreams haunting me. I can't truly let Adrian in when in my heart, Dimitri and the guilt over killing him is occupying most of its space.

I couldn't get back to sleep. I am afraid that I will see Dimitri's red eyes the moment I close my eyes. I caught hold of Adrian's hand who's still stroking my head and look into those loving eyes.

"Adrian, kiss me."

He was stunned at my sudden request and gave me a "are you sure" look. I shifted his hands to cup my face and lifted myself up to reach him. His lips were soft and he didn't need any more telling to respond to mine.

It was a sweet and loving kiss; and the first kiss we shared after that day at the stormy beach.

If it was the old Adrian, kissing and passing sexual remarks seems like a normal thing to do, but this Adrian is different. Not totally, but like a new and improved version of him. He hasn't smoked nor drank any alcoholic drinks, and he hasn't pushed me into doing anything for people in a relationship. We haven't had a single date. Our days were simple. For the first two weeks, I will leave for work in the morning while he stayed home to recuperate. He's not the scared little child anymore but a caring and mature man. Right now, his cheeks weren't sunken anymore and his body is back to how he used to be ever since he started work at Ezra's gym.

I didn't try to explain to Ezra but he seems to understand and was generous enough to offer Adrian a job in his gym as a personal trainer. I drop by the gym a couple times after work to spar with Ezra and it seems like Adrian had already built up his little fan club in just a week. Ezra told me that the number of female membership had increased in the last week and I was actually a little jealous when I saw him got a little close to one of the girls he was training with.

I must have fallen asleep while kissing Adrian coz a while later I was standing at a sunny sandy beach; A typical Adrian's spirit dream. I was right about it as I felt his arms wrapping around me from the back a second later.

"You've finally opened your heart to me my love…" he whispered into my ears as he rested his chin on my shoulders.

I turned and gave him a puzzled look. He smiled and sat down on the sand, patting the space beside him. I sat down and he started to relate to me what was happening in the last month.

"After the first few nights you started to get those nightmares, I tried to get into your dream but I couldn't get in. It felt like something was blocking between me and you, like an invisible wall. I've tried night after night but I couldn't push through. But just now, I finally figured it out. Thank you my lil dhampir" he hugged me, "thank you for letting me in."

That very moment, my heart started to race. It had never happened before but it is, right now, right this moment. Beating for the man before me. I hugged him back.

The later part of the night, I haven't had a single nightmare. Replacing it, was a blissful dream with Adrian.

The next morning, I woke up looking at Adrian's face. It was the first time I've looked at him up close. The last time was at the hospital after I had found him at the warehouse. We are living together now, but he was gentleman enough to sleep on the couch. I looked closely at the man sleeping beside me. His skin was not moroi pale but there's a slight tan to it. His lashes were long, complementing those amazing green eyes he possess. A slim and tall nose and soft kissable lips. I mentally slapped myself for having such thought in the morning. Carefully, I slide my hand over the side of his face. His cheeks are smooth except for those emerging stubbles.

"mmm… I can get used to waking up like this…" he said with a sleepy voice and looked at me. I blushed and looked away.

"Hey, I was just kidding, don't look away."

I chuckled.

I stuck out my tongue at him and jumped off the bed to wash up. I had a day planned in my head with this gorgeous man. It was Sunday and both Adrian and I had our day off today.

We had hotdogs for breakfast and walked to our first destination – the hair stylist. Seriously, those long unruly hair doesn't suit Adrian at all. I greeted my usual stylist, Nathan and handed Adrian over to him while I head over to the manicurist to get my nails done. I figured that I do need to pamper myself even with the rough nature of my job.

An hour later, a perfectly polished Adrian stood before me. Okay, I might need to put a restraining order on all the females at the gym.

Nathan had gave him a haircut that framed his face nicely and showed off his well-chiseled facial structure. His jaw line now prominent and the golden brown highlights in his chestnut brown hair complemented the greens in his eyes. I'll be so proud to parade him down the street. We – okay Adrian – paid for our services and we head over to our next stop. Shopping! I've never been a big fan of shopping – Lissa experienced it first hand – but shopping with Adrian is so much fun. We would pick out outfits for each other and tried it out. Basically, he was looking at the females section and I'm at the males. It was weird in others' eyes but we couldn't care more. It felt so normal, human couple normal, and I've never felt like this before. Before the end of the shopping trip, Adrian suggested that we get one hour to get a present for each other and we shall exchange our presents tonight over dinner. I thought it was a great idea and we took off on our own.

I wandered around the mall, hunting for the perfect gift for Adrian as tonight, I'm going to tell him that I'm ready to be his girlfriend. For the first 45 minutes or so, I bought not presents but some really dumb things. Like matching mugs and cereal bowls, matching T-shirts and even a pair of baseball cap that says, "He's mine" with an arrow pointing to the right and the other that says "She's mine" with an arrow pointing to the left. It was really mushy and I don't know, stupid?, but as I was paying for my purchases, I couldn't stop but notice the uplifted corners of my mouth. I was feeling happy and blissful. I've also gotten myself a couple new sets of lingerie from Victoria Secret and for the second time today, I bitch slapped myself mentally for thinking sexual thought. Oh man! What was I thinking? I bought them nonetheless. As I was going to give up, I saw the perfect gift. A watch encrusted 12 neatly arranged emeralds in place of the numerals. I paid for it with Abe's card as it was totally over my budget.

I met up with Adrian and we grabbed a late lunch before heading home. We had a little problem trying to haul all our shopping back from my car to my apartment but eventually we managed with a little help from Ezra who happened to pass by. I thanked him for his help and walked him out of the apartment. Before he left, he said, "I'm glad that you've finally found your happiness. I know he'll be able to give you what you need. I admit defeat Ashley, he's really a great man."

"Thank you Ezra" I smiled and gave him a hug.


	8. Chapter 8: First Date

Yay! First Date!

So, I feel that it is becoming all love and no action lately, should I bring in those undead or old friends into the story? Leave a comment in the reviews section!

PS: I wanted to do a poll but who cares to even go to my page, so let's just vote here.

Who should I bring in?

Strigoi (Remember, Dimitri is dead. Really dead.)

Old friends (Lissa, Christian, etc)

Bitches (Tatiana, Janine, Avery, etc)

New blood (New characters and they might be named after you!)

Leave your vote in the review section below and wait for the new coming chapters!

Rei

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><p><strong>Chapter 8: First Date<strong>

After I had sent Ezra off, I went back to the apartment and saw Adrian looking through our shopping bags. I spotted the one with the present and quickly snatched and stashed it away before he sees it.

"That's cheating!" I frowned at him.

He just gave me a cheeky look and continued to unpack our purchases. I took out the mugs and placed them on the kitchen counter, looking pleased at my purchase. Adrian got to my Victoria Secret's bag and pulled out a lacy thong.

"I like it…" he looked at me and gave me a sheepish smile. I just took the thong and the bag from him and ran to my room to hide it.

When I came out, he was wearing the couple T shirt and put on the baseball cap. He looked funnily cute in those.

"We should wear this out tonight" he suggested with a boyish grin.

"That was what I thought too!" I chimed in with his joke. Apparently he had made a reservation at a really pose restaurant at the hilltop earlier this morning and I overheard it when I was getting out of the showers.

We continued to unpack and I shifted the clothes in my wardrobe to one side to make some space for him. We're definitely going to need a bigger wardrobe.

After that, I went to take a shower and left Adrian with the TV and a bag of chips.

When I got out of the showers, Adrian let out a whistle as he saw me wrapped in a towel. I rolled my eyes and went back to my room. When I walked in, I saw a beautiful dress laid neatly on my bed. It was a one shoulder toga dress made of crimson red silk. It was a simple dress with no added details but was gorgeous on its own. The shoulder strap consists of two straps and you have to tie it to secure the straps. Adrian must have bought it especially for tonight.

I pulled out my drawers and took out the bag of Victoria Secrets lingerie. I picked out a set of lacy red lingerie and stuffed the rest back in the drawers. I put on the lingerie and slipped the dress on. The dress fitted nicely on me and accentuated my figure. I'm not bragging but I've got a few curves of my own. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and for a very small moment, I felt like I was in a dream; a dream I never want to wake up from.

I dried my hair and pain stakingly tried to curl them with my curling iron and miserably failed. In the end, I stuck with my straighteners and just have my hair straightened with the ends curly inwards. I took out the new makeup I bought just now and put on some eyeliner, mascara, blush and a peachy lipgloss. Makeup was really not my forte and I can still remember the time when Lissa tried to teach me how to draw the eyeliner. I still miss her sometimes but I know that I have been replaced.

When I got out of my room, Adrian was just coming out of the showers, hair dripping wet and wrapped in towel. Now I know why he whistled. I tried to look away but I can't seem to peel my eyes off his muscular body.

"See something you like?" he raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

"Go get changed." I managed to say finally and walked over to the living room but he caught me by the hips before I could take a step and hugged me from behind.

"But I see something I like…" he said seductively while brushing his nose up the side of my neck. "You smell good…" he kissed my neck and walked away.

Damn! I was blushing mad. I chastised myself for letting Adrian have such power over me.

When he got out of the room, I was captivated by him again. He was wearing a bright crimson red shirt paired with the dark grey suit I chose for him earlier. His hair was combed neatly and showed off his face even more.

"You look great" I blurted out.

"You too, my love." He said and extended his arm to me. "Shall we?"

I smiled and held his arms.

Adrian took the wheel and I was riding shotgun for the very first time in my own car. I've experience many first times ever since Adrian came back into my life. The feeling was really sweet.

We got to the restaurant and it was really quiet. He led me to the back garden and in the middle was a table with a bouquet of red roses on it. The area around the patio was surrounded by tealights and the atmosphere was almost magical.

"You didn't…"

"I did." He smiled. "All for you, my love."

The server led us to the table and opened a bottle of champagne. He poured us each a flute and stood by the side.

Adrian took his and raised it. "Cheers to my beautiful Princess."

I raised mine. "Cheers to the relentless Ivashkov"

Dinner was amazing. The soup was lobster bisque and the main dish was a piece of thick and succulent rib eye. Finally, dessert came. It was chocolate lava cake, served with vanilla ice cream, topped with some lemon jest. It was delish and refreshing. After dessert, it was time for our gift exchange. Thinking that the dress was his gift, I presented him with my gift first.

"Wow…" was all he said and he quickly put it on. Just then, the violinist started to play some music and he walked over to me and asked, "May I?"

We shared out first dance together.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this" he said as we were swaying to the soft music. Our gaze locked onto each other like there was no one else around. "Thank you for giving me this chance to be in your life" I smiled. "And thank you for not giving up on me" I tipped my toes and kissed him softly on the lips. I didn't want to break apart from the kiss. It was just… right… it felt so right to be with Adrian. But it was Adrian to pull away from the kiss. He knelt down on his knee and took out a tiffany box from his pocket. Oh god… he's not really doing what I think it is!

"Ashley, Little dhampir, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked as he popped open the box to reveal a pair of shiny silver rings.

I heaved a mental sigh of relief and a tear escaped from my eyes. "Yes Adrian, I will be your girlfriend." He took out a ring from the box and slipped it on my finger. I took the other and slipped it on his. We shared another kiss again.

At that moment, I know that nothing can break us apart.

We got back to the apartment hand in hand. If cooties exist, I'm sure I'm covered in it. I was feeling light and basking in Adrian's overflowing love.


End file.
